Devices to automatically fold a continuous multi-form web into a stack are well-known and wide spread in the printing industry. Typically, such devices employ a folder assembly in the form of a swing chute to lay the incoming forms of the web in a superposed relationship to form a stack. In most applications, the forms on the web are separated from one another by transverse perforation lines at which the folds are made in order to form the stack.
The major drawback of existing folding machines is that they can operate only at limited speeds. Therefore, a single folding machine is not capable of processing the output of a high speed printing press. As a result, the cost effectiveness of these devices is limited since a normal production line must incorporate several folders running in parallel.